Living Healthy Together

Could a tick bite make you allergic to red meat? Lyme disease is just one of several tick-borne health threats emerging across the Northeast. Continue the conversation as Natalie Kwit and Patti Casey take a closer look at the diseases ticks carry and the growing public health challenges they present. Natalie and Patti explore Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, alpha-gal syndrome and other emerging health concerns linked to tick bites. You’ll learn why Vermont remains one of the nation’s highest-incidence states for several tick-borne diseases, how changing environmental conditions may be influencing disease patterns, and wh...

Ticks are a growing public health concern across Vermont and the Northeast, but many don’t understand how they live, spread and transmit disease. Natalie Kwit, Vermont Public Health Veterinarian, and Patti Casey, Vermont Agency of Agriculture Environmental Surveillance Program Director, explain the fascinating and often misunderstood world of ticks. From their unique life cycle and feeding behavior to the role wildlife plays in spreading tick-borne pathogens, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at the tiny arachnids that are reshaping public health across the region. You’ll learn how ticks move through the environment, why some s...

E-bikes are changing the way people get around: offering new opportunities for transportation, recreation and independence. But as their popularity grows, so do questions about safety, especially for children and teenagers. Living Healthy Together sits down with pediatric critical care physician Dr. Rebecca Bell, MD, MPH, and injury prevention specialist Stephanie Busch, AEMT, CPSTI, to explore this growing conversation. Together, they discuss what e-bikes are, how they differ from traditional pedal bicycles, why injuries are increasing nationwide, and what parents need to know before purchasing one for their child. The conversation covers rider readiness, age re...

What happens when your body’s built-in cooling system can’t keep up? Emergency medicine physician Dr. Robert Inglis joins Living Healthy Together to explain how the human body regulates temperature, why extreme heat can become dangerous, and what happens when that delicate balance begins to fail. From dehydration and heat exhaustion to serious cardiovascular stress, heat-related illness affects far more than comfort. You’ll learn how heat impacts your heart, kidneys and other vital organs, why humidity can be just as important as temperature, and how medications, chronic health conditions and age can increase your vul...

Wildfire smoke is no longer just a problem for the western United States. Join University of Vermont researcher Christina Barsky and Moms Clean Air Force public health manager Elizabeth Bechard as they explore the growing impacts of wildfire smoke on our region and discuss the heightened risks facing children, pregnant people, older adults, outdoor workers and individuals with chronic conditions. Learn what emerging research reveals about respiratory illness, cardiovascular health, pregnancy outcomes and long-term health effects – and how wildfire smoke and extreme heat can combine to create especially dangerous conditions. Christina and Elizabeth also...

Heat isn’t just uncomfortable. It can be dangerous. Join University of Vermont researcher Elizabeth Doran to explore how heat and humidity affect communities and daily life across Vermont and the Northeast. From heat stress and heat stroke to the challenges faced by older adults, renters, outdoor workers and people with chronic health conditions, we examine why the emergence of extreme heat is one of the most important public health issues of our time. You’ll learn why the first major heat wave of the year can be especially dangerous and how local research is helpin...

Migraine affects far more than your head. In the third part of our migraine series, headache specialist Adam Sprouse-Blum, MD, and Katie MacDonald, executive director of Miles for Migraine, explore what life is like with migraine and how treatment has evolved dramatically in recent years. From brain fog, sensory overload, nausea, facial pain and aura to the invisible burden of chronic migraine, this conversation reveals why migraine is one of the most misunderstood neurological diseases in the world. You’ll learn how migraine is diagnosed, when to seek help, why some patients go years without rece...

What happens when a disorder often dismissed as “just a bad headache” begins to shape every aspect of your life? In part two of our series on migraine, we sit down with Katie MacDonald, executive director of Miles for Migraine and a longtime migraine patient, to explore the realities of living with a chronic neurovascular disorder. Diagnosed as a teenager, Katie shares how migraine progressed from occasional attacks to daily symptoms that ultimately changed her career path, her routines and her outlook on life. We discuss the challenges of living with an invisible illness...

Migraine affects more than one billion people worldwide, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood neurological disorders in medicine. Migraine is often dismissed as “just a headache,” but it is a complex brain disease that can impact vision, thinking, sensory processing, daily functioning and quality of life. Neurologist and headache specialist Rebecca Burch, MD, explains what migraine really is, why it affects women at disproportionately high rates, and how decades of stigma have shaped public understanding of the world’s most common neurological disorder. You’ll learn about visual aura, the latest research exploring how migrai...

Can music improve your health? Decades of research suggests the answer is ‘Yes’. Explore the growing field of music therapy and the remarkable ways music is being used as a clinical tool to support healing, reduce anxiety, manage pain and improve quality of life. Board-certified music therapists Maggie Connors, MT-BC, and Danica Cunningham, MT-BC, of Golisano Children’s Hospital at UVM Health explain how evidence-based music interventions are helping pediatric patients navigate medical procedures, cope with hospitalization, regulate emotions and reconnect with a sense of normalcy during some of life’s most challenging moments. You’ll learn how...

What does it take to remain grateful during a lifetime of hardship? We sit down with Francisco Herrera of University of Vermont Medical Center as he shares his remarkable life’s journey defined by perseverance, family, and gratitude: From growing up in the Dominican Republic, helping to support his family as a child and surviving life-threatening challenges to building a career as a firefighter, investigator, health care worker, mentor and community member. Through hunger, personal loss and professional disappointments, Francisco chose hope over anger or bitterness. His story is a powerful reminder that gratitude isn’t rese...

What if your health choices aren’t really your own? Join us as we explore the powerful ways for-profit interests work to shape what we eat, drink and believe through product design, marketing and public policy influence. From tobacco to ultra-processed foods, industries have long leveraged science, psychology and messaging to drive consumption and decision-making, often at the expense of public health. Eva Zaret, MPH, of Central Vermont Medical Center breaks down the development and evolution of these profit-driven systems: from sugar research funded by corporate interests that reshaped nutrition science, to engi...

How far can your body and mind really go? Explore the world of extreme endurance running with clinical dieticians Amanda Gibbs of University of Vermont – Alice Hyde Medical Center and Joni Gerken, RD, of Adirondack Health. Lifelong runners and endurance athletes, Amanda and Joni share their journey from traditional races to ultramarathons, events that push athletes far beyond the 26.2 miles that make up a classic marathon. Learn what it takes to train for these extreme events, including the balance of physical preparation, mental resilience, and foundational nutrition. From running mountain trails to tackling 100-kilo...

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects millions of people. Managing it takes more than monitoring your blood pressure readings. Clinical care, nutrition, lifestyle changes and every day challenges all play a role. Alison Hobart, FNP, a primary care provider, and Rachel Lorek, RD, a clinical nutritionist and director of Food and Nutrition Services at Central Vermont Medical Center, explain why high blood pressure is one of the most common (and preventable) chronic conditions. They break down how lifestyle changes, medication and food choices can work together to reduce a person’s risk – and how small chang...

Hospice Care is often misunderstood, feared or delayed – and the cost of waiting is measured in missed moments. In this episode of Living Healthy Together, explore hospice through the deeply personal stories of families and caregivers, and the insights of professionals who guide families and individuals through some of life’s most intimate and ubiquitous experiences. Leendert Huisman, whose wife Johanna passed away at McClure Miller Respite House after a long battle with cancer, reflects on his wife’s end-of-life journey. He shares how hospice care brought calm, clarity and dignity along with skilled medical care, emotional reassur...

A stroke is a medical emergency in which every second matters. This week on Living Healthy Together, we explore how awareness, rapid treatment and coordinated care and clinical support can change everything. Genie Denton of Central Vermont Medical Center shares her powerful personal experience surviving multiple strokes, joined by her husband, Steven Harnois, a firefighter and longtime EMT. Genie recounts the subtle and often confusing symptoms that nearly went unnoticed, and how quick action and timely treatment made a life-changing difference for her. Christopher Commichau, MD, director of Cerebrovascular Disease, Neurocritical care and the Stroke Ce...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unpredictable, often invisible and lifelong. For those living with this spectrum of conditions, every day can be shaped by pain, uncertainty and the need to constantly adapt. We explore the realities of IBD through the decades-long medical journey of Joshua Peets, a North Country resident and Crohn’s disease patient, and the clinical expertise of members of the care team at the Chron’s & Colitis Center at UVM Medical Center. Shruti Khurana, MD, a gastroenterologist and the founder/director of the Center, and Jeremy Dressler, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon, describe how IBD ca...

What does it take to build a medical practice that lasts not just decades, but generations? Join us as we visit Green Mountain Family Practice in Northfield, Vermont, and explore the human connections and experiences that form the core of family medicine for the Sullivan family, over the course of a hundred years. Craig Sullivan, MD, began caring for families in Northfield in 1983, practicing medicine in a small town where care extends beyond clinic walls and trust and lifelong relationships with patients defined family medicine. Dr. Sullivan shares stories and insights drawn from a career shaped by house calls, h...

Health information is everywhere: online resources, third-party apps on your smartphone, artificial intelligence-driven chatbots; even the patient portal to your electronic health record. So why does understanding and using health information remain a challenge for millions of Americans? And how does communication, trust and misinformation shape health care experiences for patients and providers alike? Join Chrissy Keating, health literacy specialist at UVM Medical Center, as we explore why nearly nine in 10 adults struggle with health information; hear volunteer patient and family advisor Susanna Stinnett and patient engagement partner Vicki Mascareno-Nelson discuss how lived experiences improve patient-provider communi...

Preventing child maltreatment is complex, and everyone has a role to play. Child abuse and neglect affect every community. In this episode of Living Healthy Together, we mark Child Abuse Awareness Month by bringing together medical experts, foster parents, forensic specialists and community leaders to explore how we can keep children safe and how prevention truly works. James Metz, MD, a pediatrician, division chief of child abuse medicine and director of the Child Safe Program at Golisano Children’s Hospital, explains why child maltreatment is more common than many childhood illnesses; the role of pediatricians and how multidisciplinary...